Fox's Gap ACW

by Woody

01-08-2009

After a Holidays Hiatus, the Gettysburg Area Gamers started off the New Year with a fast-paced, rip roarin' recreation of the engagement at Fox's Gap, one of the three Battles for South Mountain during Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign of September 1862.

At the real Fox's Gap, fought on September 14th, elements of Union General Jesse Reno's Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac were to force the gap where the original road from Frederick to the Potomac River at Shepherdstown crossed the South Mounatin, while the another group was to hit Turner's Gap, about a mile north of Fox's, and a third group, Crampton's Gap, located about ten miles to the south. Commanding at our Fox's Gap was Rob with subordinates Chris and Bob.

On the Confederate side in the real donnybrook were elements of Daniel Harvey Hill's corps, specifically Samuel Garland's Brigade that was later supported by the brigades of Ripley and the Andersons (GB & GT). In our drama below the Mason-Dixon was Billy Ray with his subordinate Jack.

Surprisingly, the game closely paralleled the actual fight. The Yankee strategy in the game was to take advantage of a weak Confederate center by attacking both confederate flanks, and then sending a group up the center to force the gap by the Wise cabin at the intersection of the old road, and a mountain road that ran the length of the mountain summit. As in the real battle, the Confederates moved quickly to fortify the center's weak spot and held a good portion of the mountain road south of Wise's as well as the road north of Wise's, but the Yankees under Bob were able early in the game to breach the Confederate positions at Wise's Cabin. But as the fifth turn came around, the Yankees at the Cabin lost ground, but the Yankees finally pushed the Confederate right flank back into the woods on the west side of the ridge.

However, at the end of the last turn, the Yankee's had failed to take the objective that they needed for a total victory – hold the intersection at Wise's Cabin and control the Mountain road to the south. However, given a few more turns, the Yankees probably would have forced the Confederate back towards Sharpsburg and another date with destiny. The game was called a minor Confederate victory.